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Decreased Plasma IGF-1 Is Associated with Cortical Atrophy, But Not Concomitant Cerebrovascular Disease in Alzheimer’s Dementia
Yam ATY, Chai YL, Hilal S, Yuan C, Mok VCT, Venketasubramanian N, Tan BY, Sim MA et al.. Preprints.org, 2026-07-24
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Dysregulated insulin signaling in brain has been linked to cognitive impairment and dementia. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a peptide growth hormone crucial for neurogenesis and neuroprotection. Findings regarding potential involvement of IGF-1 in dementia have been conflicting, and the status of IGF-1 in clinical cohorts with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and concomitant cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) burden is unknown. A Singapore-based memory clinic cohort consisting of 46 non-cognitively impaired (NCI), 101 with cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND) and 81 AD dementia subjects underwent plasma IGF-1 measurements and neuroimaging assessments for association analyses of peripheral IGF-1 with regional brain volumes, as well as with neuroimaging CeVD markers (lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, white matter hyperintensities). Plasma IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in AD compared to NCI and CIND participants (both p < 0.001). Plasma IGF-1 was significantly associated with smaller hippocampal (p = 0.035), amygdala (p = 0.024), parietal lobe (p = 0.029), and frontal lobe (p = 0.002) volumes. In contrast, plasma IGF-1 did not associate with CeVD markers after covariate adjustments. Our findings suggest that plasma IGF-1 may be a specific blood-based biomarker for neurodegeneration, while having no direct role in CeVD pathophysiology.
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APA 7th
Yam, A. T. Y., Chai, Y. L., Hilal, S., Yuan, C., Mok, V. C. T., Venketasubramanian, N., et al. (2026). Decreased Plasma IGF-1 Is Associated with Cortical Atrophy, But Not Concomitant Cerebrovascular Disease in Alzheimer’s Dementia. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202607.1813.v1
Vancouver
Yam ATY, Chai YL, Hilal S, Yuan C, Mok VCT, Venketasubramanian N, et al. Decreased Plasma IGF-1 Is Associated with Cortical Atrophy, But Not Concomitant Cerebrovascular Disease in Alzheimer’s Dementia. Preprints.org. 2026. doi:10.20944/preprints202607.1813.v1.
BibTeX
@article{yam2026-aa6728f4,
author = {Yam, A. T. Y. and Chai, Y. L. and Hilal, S. and Yuan, C. and Mok, V. C. T. and Venketasubramanian, N. and Tan, B. Y. and Sim, M. A. and others},
title = {{Decreased Plasma IGF-1 Is Associated with Cortical Atrophy, But Not Concomitant Cerebrovascular Disease in Alzheimer’s Dementia}},
journal = {Preprints.org},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.20944/preprints202607.1813.v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202607.1813.v1}
}
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Key findings
- Plasma IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in AD compared to NCI and CIND participants (both p < 0.001).
- Plasma IGF-1 was significantly associated with smaller hippocampal (p = 0.035), amygdala (p = 0.024), parietal lobe (p = 0.029), and frontal lobe (p = 0.002) volumes.
- Our findings suggest that plasma IGF-1 may be a specific blood-based biomarker for neurodegeneration, while having no direct role in CeVD pathophysiology.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 24 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 15 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 24 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Preprints.org) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 15 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 15 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 24 out of 100. |
| Total | 24 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
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